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Student stress must be addressed, York University professor says

“Schools are first and foremost social-emotional institutions,” says York University professor Stuart Shanker, adding that failure to address issues leads to “early dropouts and lots of disorder.”

Stuart Shanker is a distinguished research professor of philosophy and psychology at York University. Shanker says social-emotional learning is the critical factor in how well a school and child performs. (Sarah Dea file photo for the Toronto Star)

Knitting needles for troubled boys, exercise bikes at the back of a class, soundproofing headphones to block out distraction, a weighted blanket for a child who needs to calm down.

These are some of the cutting-edge classroom tools of a new campaign to fight what psychologist Stuart Shanker calls one of the toughest problems facing Canadian students from kindergarten to grad school: stress.

As scientists discover links between emotional well-being and how we learn, governments must shift their focus from test scores to temperament, warned the York University professor and global expert on child stress who spoke this weekend at a conference hosted by the advocacy and research group People for Education.

“The conversation in Ontario so far has been very narrow; mainly ‘How we do on Grade 3 and 6 tests compared to other countries?’ ” noted Shanker, “but the South Koreans, who have high scores on these tests, came in last on the latest survey of life satisfaction.

“Life is very complex; our children are exposed to stressors in everything from video games to junk food, and anxiety is one of the biggest problems in elementary schools, high schools, even post-secondary,” said Shanker, noting 70 per cent of students in the Toronto District School Board said they were often anxious about their future. Shanker is spearheading a nationwide campaign to help schools and parents dial back the stress among young learners.

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His research is part of a broader move, launched by People for Education, to have schools actually measure how well they foster social-emotional skills, citizenship, physical health, creativity and a positive school climate overall — beyond the 3 Rs.

“We can tell what a society cares about by what we measure, but we want to expand how we define school success,” said People for Education’s executive director, Annie Kidder.

Ontario Education Minister Liz Sandals told the conference her government has updated its vision to include a focus on student well-being, mental health and a positive sense of self and belonging.

Education writer Paul Tough spoke about the importance of skills such as grit, zest, curiosity, gratitude, optimism, self-control and social intelligence in helping kids succeed — rather than just cognitive smarts.

In a research paper released Sunday by People for Education, Shanker spells out practical ways schools can measure how well they foster children’s social and emotional self-awareness, and the ability to regulate their own emotions, be thoughtful of others, build healthy relationships and make positive decisions.

“It’s abundantly clear to me that social-emotional learning is the critical factor in how well a school does and how well a child does,” said Shanker. “Schools are first and foremost social-emotional institutions; from Day One, a child has to negotiate through a minefield of social-emotional stresses and challenges.”

When schools address this, research shows a dramatic rise in happiness, how long kids stay in school and how well they do in school, he said. When they don’t, “you get early dropouts and lots of disorder.”

One British Columbia teacher introduced knitting to her class of 20 boys with behavioural problems, said Shanker, and found it worked wonders to calm them down and refocus. (She let them knit their team colours.) Another teacher brought in soundproofing headphones for students who had been through trauma and were easily distracted. A Nova Scotia teacher installed stationary bicycles at the back of the class where students can go to burn off steam. Another set up a small carpet and weighted blanket in a corner where children can go to cosy up and calm down.

“One of our teachers completely changed her approach based on Stuart Shanker’s philosophy because anxiety is a huge problem for our kids,” said Sault Ste Marie principal Carol Lucio of William Merrifield Public School, who attended the weekend conference.

“She took out almost all the desks and replaced them with tables of different heights. She took all the busy, stimulating clutter off the walls — grammar posters? Gone — and repainted in muted colours. She provides clipboards for kids who want to work on the floor. And when one student in particular gets angry, she sends him to the office and I take him to the gym to throw bean bags to get rid of his anger,” said Lucio.

“And it’s working. Her kids are engaged and collaborating with each other like never before.”

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